Los Angeles 29 November 2011 – HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc, a subsidiary of SGL Group – The Carbon Company, announced that it is a recipient of the 2011 Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award for its work on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. The award was presented to a team of organizations by the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Panel under the direction of the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). Through the Defense ManTech Office, OSD funds selected projects to assist in achieving its goal of developing technologies and processes which ensure the affordable and timely production and sustainment of defense systems.

HITCO worked as a member of a team that included: Navy ManTech, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Company, Cytec Engineered Materials, MAG Cincinnati, Composites Manufacturing Technology Center and the JSF Program Office. The goal of the team was to optimize the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process for fabricating carbon fiber / bismaleimide composites in order to enhance JSF productivity and affordability. Of the over 100 funded ManTech projects this year, 10 received nominations for the 2011 Award. The HITCO team was selected for the award among the 5 finalists.

“We are honored to be a member of the winning ManTech team”, said Anthony Lawson, HITCO’s President. “Through the diligent work of our people and our team members, we were able to meet or exceed all of the project’s goals, including a 47% improvement in throughput rate for wing skins and greater than 60% improvement in nacelles. Along with the support of our parent company, SGL Group – The Carbon Company, we continue to invest in capabilities, people, equipment and facilities to deliver high quality composite components to the industry.”

In selecting the HITCO team for this award, the Defense ManTech Office cited the economic impact of this project. In return for a Navy ManTech investment of US$3.7 million for the project, the JSF Program expects to realize cost savings estimated at $100 million during the next 20 years. HITCO has a multi-decades’ long track record of supplying composite components to Lockheed Martin production programs, beginning with Radomes for the C-130 Hercules family of transports; continuing with manufacture of composite components for the F-22 Raptor; and most recently wing skins, nacelle skins and other components for JSF.

About HITCO Carbon Composites.
HITCO Carbon Composites, a subsidiary of SGL Group – The Carbon Company, is a leading supplier of composite structures and advanced materials primarily for the aerospace / aircraft and defense markets. Founded in 1922 and based in Gardena, California, HITCO was an early specialist in composite structures and materials. Today HITCO continues to pursue its goal of becoming the premier Tier II Aerostructures supplier for commercial aviation, military and space applications. Additionally, HITCO has a leading global position as a supplier of high temperature materials and carbon-carbon brakes for military & commercial aircraft, high performance race cars and high value industrial applications.

About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace and defense industries as well as in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.
With 45 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2010, the Company’s workforce of around 6,300 generated sales of €1,382 million. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden/Germany.

Important note:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the information currently available to us and on our current projections and assumptions. By nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, as a consequence of which actual developments and results can deviate significantly from these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not to be understood as guarantees. Rather, future developments and results depend on a number of factors; they entail various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions which may prove to be inaccurate. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic, legal, and business conditions, particularly relating to our main customer industries, such as electric steel production, to the competitive environment, to interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, to technological developments, and to other risks and unanticipated circumstances. Other risks that in our opinion may arise include price developments, unexpected developments connected with acquisitions and subsidiaries, and unforeseen risks associated with ongoing cost savings programs. SGL Group does not intend or assume any responsibility to revise or otherwise update these forward-looking statements.